BRANCHING OUT DUBUQUE

BRANCHING OUT DUBUQUE. The beginning of a five-year plan to bring thousands of trees to Dubuque began in the fall of 2023. The City of Dubuque was awarded a $1.5 million U.S. Forest Service grant to plant thousands of trees. The program--Branching Out Dubuque--was carried out in a partnership with Dubuque Trees Forever, a local nonprofit.

The plan was envisioned to involve just over 5,000 trees to be planted over a five-year process. Although monies were not received until the summer of 2024, 28 trees had already been planted along the BEE BRANCH Trail by August. The program was expected to pay for 5,280 trees to be planted with a focus on serving census areas with a low tree canopy compared to other areas in Dubuque. Priority areas included the Washington Park Neighborhood, Point Neighborhood, North End and West End. Many of the areas were the hardest hit by ash tree removals. Downtown areas had a tree canopy of between 7% and 11% compared to neighborhoods which had up to 54% canopy coverage. Downtown areas were likely to suffer from radiant heat from buildings and roads. Homeowners and business owners could request free trees if they were located within such census areas. While there are many types of trees from which to choose, the plan was to focus on using as many native trees as possible.

Trees were planted by volunteers with Dubuque Trees Forever and the Teen Resiliency Corps. (1)

In the spring of 2025 only 41 trees had been planted. City officials hoped to increase this to 165 in 2025 with the background that the Forest Service had decreased the number of trees to 5,280. (2)

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Source:

1. Bond, Maia, "Dubuque Tree-Planting Initiative Underway This Fall," Telegraph Herald, September 25, 2024, p. 2A

2. Gray, Chris, "Dubuque Tree Plan Slow to Take Root," Telegraph Herald, March 28, 2025, p. 1A